


I Shed My Last Feather | Tim Drake & Danielle Woods Avian AU

by TheBlueMatrix



Category: No Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Batman Fusion, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:29:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28777572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBlueMatrix/pseuds/TheBlueMatrix
Summary: Danielle Woods meets a handsome young man in his early 20s who she believes to be her guardian angel. He later confesses his love to her, but she unfortunately declines because she thought they were not compatible even though she felt the same way. Dani later finds herself in the middle of a war her angelic love and his friends are fighting, for her fate was decided...
Relationships: Jason Todd/Orignal Female Character, Tim Drake/Orignal Female Character





	I Shed My Last Feather | Tim Drake & Danielle Woods Avian AU

**Author's Note:**

> WARNING: A lot of dialogue (I can't help myself), heavy language (censored), and sexual tension (doesn't actually happen)!
> 
> NOTICE: This is a story of my version of angels and demons. The use of religious and cultural characters is NOT meant to offend. DO NOT READ IF IT OFFENDS.

I was consumed by gravity. My throat was a dried prune as I screamed with all my lungs’ power. Loud thunder cracked, but there was no flash of light. In the dark night, I was alert and terrified as I caught a glimpse of a black and white figure charging at me. I was taken from the gravity’s grasp, but I was too scared to process what was going on.  
I was gently set on the couch in my apartment. Before me stood a dark masculine figure with wings, and pure blue eyes glowing in the moonlight. I crawled down the couch to the lamp post, I pulled the switch and the living room was lit. The slide door to the balcony was open, letting in a cool breeze. But that figure standing in front of me… He was beautiful. Rosy pale skin, his eyes were sapphires, his angelic wings were snow white, his short raven hair shown in the light and the bangs stretched down to his cheekbones. Besides his gorgeous hypnotizing eyes, the red markings around the right eye caught my attention--It was almost like a sun design. He had halcyon MK49 brown leather and shining silver pilot goggles resting on his head--They looked like they were from World War II--The sleeves of his white button down shirt were rolled up, and his chest was blanketed in a black vest with swirling designs. Under the vest, his shirt was tucked in his black victorian regency fall front trousers; his entire outfit was somehow complimented by black leather, simply-designed biker boots.  
“Are you okay?” His angelic voice was heaven to my ears, then one of his wings twitched.  
“Are those real?” I asked, ignoring his question.  
“Yes,” He answered. “But I don’t quite understand your question.”  
“Like, are they mechanical, or are they… part of your body?”  
He had a confused expression. “They’re part of my body.”  
“So you can control them like every other part of your body?”  
“Yes. But you didn’t answer my question. Are you hurt?”  
Flashbacks flushed through my mind. I held my hip, remembering my condition; I forgot I was hurt, I didn’t feel the blood trickle down my body until now. He drew closer to me, my knees curled closer to my breast in fear of this creature that saved me.  
“I know you’re frightened,” He spoke softly. “But I can help you.”  
“How can I trust you if I don’t know what you are,” I questioned him. “You look so human, but… not. I don’t believe in mythology, but… Are you an angel?”  
“Avian. But yes. How can I earn your trust?”  
“Tell me an important factor about ‘Avians’ and I’ll consider it.”  
“Avians once had a human life. After death, we get a second chance at life as Avians to watch over and guard humanity--That doesn’t make us immortal, though. Only Reapers, other Avians, or anything of higher power can kill me.”  
“What are ‘Reapers’?”  
“They’re also known as demons. If you could let me heal you, I can tell you more.”  
“Like how you died?”  
He paused, staring through my soul. I felt his gaze and it made me nervous. “If you let me heal you, I will tell you anything you want to know about my nature,” He offered a deal.  
I didn’t say anything, but I agreed with my eyes.  
He came closer with a hand out. I lifted my shirt to reveal the wound; his warm, soft hand gently landed on it and in the falling blood. A glowing red substance emerged from his hand and the red markings around his eye illuminated in unison. I felt the raging sea of stinging pain under his hand fade into a calm ocean. He removed his blood-coated palm. The markings around his eye were dull and devoid of light.  
“Who are you?” I was more frightened of his supernatural ability of magic than his appearance.  
“I’m Timothy Drake,” He answered politely. “What’s yours?”  
“Dani. Do your friends ever call you Tim?”  
“All the time. I was raised to have polite manners, so I always introduce myself by my full name.”  
“When are you from?”  
“Do you mean where?”  
“No, when. Nobody introduces themselves by their full names anymore.”  
“Is it strange if I tell you I was born in 1875?”  
“You sound crazy.”  
“What if I said it was true?”  
“I wouldn’t believe you. You look too young to be from that time period. How old are you?”  
“Do you want the simple answer or the complicated answer?”  
“Simple.”  
“I’m twenty-one.”  
My eyebrows popped up. “You’re what?”  
“I know, it surprises a lot of people.”  
“You look at most seventeen.”  
“I know, I get that a lot.”  
“Okay, what’s the complicated answer?”  
“I’ve been an Avian for a hundred and twenty-nine years. If you add my age, I’ve lived for a hundred fifty.”  
My jaw dropped. “You look so young for that age!”  
“My physical appearance freezes after my first life.”  
“Dani, what are you doing? Don’t you know it’s late?” A feminine voice echoed across the apartment. My roommate walked into view from the hall in just a t-shirt and underwear. She stopped to the sight of a man in the room, and Tim and I caught a glimpse of her before she dashed behind the walls and into her bedroom, shutting the door.  
“Umm,” Tim paused. “Who was that?”  
“Don’t mind her, that’s just my roommate. She’s embarrassed because you saw her in her underwear, so she won’t be coming back out for a while.”  
He nodded, keeping note of the girl.  
“So,” I continued. “If you’re twenty-one, and your body froze in time after your first life, how did you die?”  
“It was pretty pathetic compared to the other stories I heard.”  
“Tell me, I wanna know. You said you would tell me anything I want to know.”  
“I was killed in my sleep. Someone anonymous snuck in my bedroom and I took a knife to the heart. I don’t know what I did to deserve it, but it’s clear someone wanted me dead and succeeded at it.”  
I felt sympathy for him. He unbuttoned his vest and shirt, and he pushed the edges aside to reveal his diagonal death scar on his chest. I reached out to it, planting my hand. His skin was so soft like the belly of a husky, and I could feel the thumping of his heart and was weirded out by that because he’s already dead. He landed a hand on mine, holding it in place.  
“How is it…?” I scrambled for an answer.  
“All Avians and Reapers are granted a second life. We all bleed, and we need our heart to pump it.”  
“Is it the only thing still functional?”  
“No. The respiratory, circulatory, reproductive, nervous, endocrine, and muscular system still function, everything else is completely shut down.”  
“Reproductive? You can still procreate? What about the immune system?”  
“Can’t get sick. No disease or virus can affect me.”  
“Lucky.”  
“Hey. Be glad you’re still human. Take advantage of it. You can still eat, drink, sleep… I can’t. Haven’t been able to for over a century. Speaking of, you should get some sleep. You’ve had a rough night,” He backed away from my touch and buttoned his clothing back up.  
“I want to talk with you more.”  
“I could always swoop in tomorrow on the balcony if you’d let me in. When’s the best time?”  
“Evening? I’m pretty busy at the hospital and that’s the time I’m normally home. I’m usually free all day on the weekends.”  
“I’ll keep note of that. Expect me at dusk,” Then he went off to the balcony. He effortlessly balanced on the rail and protected his eyes in the goggles, then took a dive. I rushed for him, looking over the edge. I spotted his white wings as he soared off through the city in the black night. I watched him disappear in the black, then walked back inside and locked the slide door. I cracked my bedroom door closed to change into loose sleepwear.  
“Who the hell was that?” My roommate barged in. “You didn’t tell me you were having someone over late at night, let alone a boy! And don’t tell me you met him at a bar or club!”  
“It’s not like that at all, Victoria,” I answered calmly. “He actually saved me from a bunch of gangsters and took me home.”  
“Really?”  
“If it weren’t for him, I would’ve died.”  
“That’s intense. So what is he like? Is he cute?”  
I chuckled. “Extremely. I don’t know much about him regarding that we just met tonight, but he seems sweet.”  
“What’s his name?”  
“Tim.”  
“That’s adorable.”  
I took a moment. “Vicky, this might sound off and weird, but… I’m getting a sense of feeling that he might be my guardian angel. It’s strange and I just met him, too.”  
“I don’t follow.”  
“I know, I know. If he comes back tomorrow, he can help me fill in the details. I think I need to just dream this off.”  
Victoria left me alone and went to her room. I flipped the lights off and went to bed.

I’m in love with Tim. There was something different about him—There were no wings, no red eye markings, and his eyes weren’t as blue as sapphires… He was human.  
Our mouths mashed together as he pinned me on the bed. He was shirtless, and his scar was missing; I was in nothing but a bra and underwear. My arms around his shoulders and my legs around his waist buckled him against my body, ensuring his only escape was physical love. His lips grazed my neck, pecking it into pleasure.  
I then found myself lying in bed under the covers with Tim, asleep and unaware. A black figure with a sinister grin stood next to him beside the bed with a blade in hand. It raised the knife and thrusted the blade into Tim’s chest, piercing his heart.

My eyes shot open. My room was still dark like before. I never had dreams like that. The only explanation I could pull from my mind was it was a warning, or my soul was telling me that I somehow love him—It would explain the romance. But that was just a dream, wasn’t it? It had no meaning, right?  
“Had trouble sleeping?” A masculine angelic voice spoke quietly.  
I lifted my head and Tim stood there at the doorway, eye markings glowing red as he leaned on what looked like a large blade on a stick in his hand.  
“I couldn’t help but sense you were having a nightmare.”  
“Did you have something to do with it?” I questioned.  
“No. I don’t wield that kind of power. Dream walking or cognition manipulation is black magic, and no Avian has that kind of power.”  
I sat up. “How did you get in? The doors are locked. You do know you’re breaking an entry.”  
“Magic.”  
“Is that your answer to all things? What are you doing watching me sleep? That’s really creepy.”  
“I came to confront you about your nightmare. Having dreams about a divine being typically isn’t a good sign. Care to talk about it?”  
“I guess.”  
Tim let go of his weapon and it disintegrated into nothingness and his markings darkened. He sat at the foot of my bed behind my feet, ready to listen.  
“I think it was a sign, a personal realization.”  
“Tell me what you saw.”  
“We acted like a romantic couple, except you were human and you had no scar on your chest. We made out on this bed, then it transitioned to us asleep in it. A dark figure had an evil smile and held a knife, then stabbed your heart in your sleep.”  
“Interesting.”  
“This feels so miraculous. I feel like I know more about you than I actually do—And the romance… It’s like something inside me was trying to tell me something.”  
“If I may be openly honest—I feel what my dream figure did.”  
“Death?”  
“No. Love. The moment I met you, I felt it right away. And Avians only love once in their lifetime.”  
“I don’t know how I feel. I mean, you are attractive, but that must be part of the physical nature of an angel.”  
“You are correct.”  
“But I never have dreams like that of a real person, at least not without reason. I feel like it was trying to tell me I love you, but that’s impossible to feel romantic love for somebody after meeting them in one day.”  
“I can share everything you need to know about me and my subspecies. It’s faster than talking.”  
“Okay…?”  
Tim stood from the bed and next to me. He planted his hand on my forehead like he was feeling my temperature, and through his red magic as his markings glowed, flooded information about him, Avians, Reapers, Paladins, Succubi, Incubi, and Gods; for him, he gained information about my nightmare and my feelings for him. “I see…”  
“See what? What happened?”  
“You know everything about me and deities, but I was exposed to your true feelings for me. The truth is, and this came from you directly, you love me.”  
“How? This doesn’t make any sense, I don’t understand. This is so miraculous, and supernatural, and unorthodox, and… abnormal!”  
“That dream was a sign, Dani—But will you listen to it?”  
“I don’t know. I need time,” Then I paused. “This might be strange, but will you stay with me? It’s hard for me to fall back asleep after a nightmare.”  
Tim stared at me. “If you want me to.”  
“Please? I do. I usually sleep with my plushie after having a nightmare, but I haven’t been able to find it for a while.”  
Tim removed his boots and goggles, then the vest. He opened his shirt a button below his solar plexus, and left it alone. He sat down on the side of the bed near the window; I rested my head back on my pillow, then he lied down. His feathers slid under my back and his wing pulled me in closer to him until I was on his chest and in his arms, his wings blanketed us. My nose was drowning in the scent of pure fresh roses that descended from his body like perfume, but from that information exchange, I knew that was his natural scent. I wish I could smell like that forever and never have to take a shower. I unconsciously crept my hand under his shirt on his scar, and he was fully aware every time I moved, but did nothing. I never felt so safe and secure in the arms of a person before until I was in his. Was this a gut feeling? And should I trust it? Looks can be deceiving, but I don’t detect deception in his tongue. But then again, I’m not a good liar, so how do I know? Tim seems so far like an honest and trustworthy guy, but even angels can take the form of jesters. I still questioned myself and my sanity, somehow falling in love with an angel I had just met; I was so comfortable, though, that I fell asleep before I could finish my thoughts.  
Still warm and cozy in Tim’s arms, I felt buzzing on the bed and heard chiming.  
Tim opened his eyes. “What’s that?”  
I was slowly waking up and shifted. I crawled out of his hold, his wing opened, granting me a passage. I snoozed the alarm on my phone telling me to wake up for work, then back onto his chest and rested my head on his collarbone. “It’s just an alarm, don’t worry about it,” I mumbled.  
“Are we in trouble?”  
I gave a tired smile. “We might be if my roommate catches us like this. Do you know nothing about the technology of this century? It’s an alarm that wakes me up in the morning to go to work.”  
“What about your roommate?”  
“She won’t be up till eight. It’s only seven and I should be leaving by eight-thirty,” I adjusted myself and took a deep breath. “We have time.”  
I slept in and my alarm went off again, so I snoozed it again for another ten minutes and slept in some more. At 7:20, it went off again. I snoozed it one last time, I always gave myself thirty minutes of wake up time before actually getting dressed and active. By the time it went off again at 7:30, that’s when I turned it off and left Tim’s warm embrace. I asked him to leave to the kitchen while I got dressed and ready for another boring or stressful day at the hospital. He grabbed his boots, vest, and goggles, and left to the living room to put them back on. I pulled my burgundy scrubs on, and went into the bathroom. I coated my face in a light dose of makeup, then weaved my hair into two dutch braids. I walked out and found Tim in the kitchen leaning against the sink and drinking a glass of water.  
“I thought you don’t need substance,” I recalled, taking the pre-ground coffee from a cabinet near the coffee machine.  
“You are correct, but it’s nice to consume something every once in a while. At least it’s not holy water. I am never drinking that again.”  
“And what does that taste like?”  
“Nothing like this. It’s very hard to describe. Every divine celestial has had it once in their second life to grow their wings.”  
“And the hellish?”  
“I don’t know. I was judged into the Avian class. A Warrior of order,” He paused. “Dani, let me give you a piece of advice. Enjoy your human life while you can--Make it last for as long as you can. You do not want to transform into what I have become. You will be judged eventually, but until that time comes…”  
Silence. That’s all that was left.  
It was broken to a door opening. “Dani, who are you talking to this time?” Victoria came out of her bedroom fully dressed. She stopped to the sight of Tim, eyeing his wings and red markings. “Is that the same boy from last night?”  
“Yes,” I answered, then took a sip of my hot coffee.  
“Wow. You were right, he is really cute. What’s with the wings and makeup?”  
“He’s testing out a new cosplay,” I lied, but Vicky didn’t seem to pick up how bad of a lie it was.  
“What?” Tim had no idea what I was talking about.  
“Just go with it,” I whispered to him.  
“Tim, right?” She asked.  
“Yes,” He answered.  
“Victoria. So when did you get here?”  
“About ten minutes ago,” Tim played along with my little game. “I just wanted to see if Dani was doing okay, and she clearly is, so I think I’m going to head out.”  
“Vicky, why don’t you go put on some makeup,” I turned her around and nudged her into the hallway.  
“I already did,” She declined.  
“Well you need a little touch up,” I closed the bathroom door with Vicky inside. Coming back to the kitchen, Tim was already gone and the balcony slide door was left open. On the kitchen counter was a note left by him in his hand and a large white feather neatly placed with it that must have fallen from his wing.

It was nice hanging out with you. I’ll come back again tonight at dusk--Expect me on the balcony. There is something I should probably tell you about your thesis on me. Take the time to consider our discussion last night about your dream, only you know the answer. We also can’t keep lying to your roommate. Just know that I will be visiting often, and she has to know the truth about me at some point--She will become more curious and suspicious about me as time flies by.  
Looking forward to it.

He drew a halo and wings at the end like a signature.  
I brought the note and feather to my room, setting them neatly on the dresser under my flatscreen TV. I took my purse from the kitchen chair and my car keys from the counter and left for work. I locked the door and balcony, and walked down three flights of stairs. In the garage building next to the apartment, my candy red 2020 Chevy Blazer sat where I left it yesterday on the first level. I unlocked it, and sat inside, then inserted the key in its slot and turned, the engine started and purred smoothly. I changed gears and pressured the accelerator and slowly pulled out. A black figure rushed down the alley and landed in front of my car, holding the front and keeping me from moving forward. He had muscular dark skin and black dreadlocks, horns of a goat on his forehead, pointed ears, long nails, black and red dragon-like wings, and his eyes were entirely black burning with orange, and purple markings around the left eye; his smile was wicked and greedy. Two more figures bursted in, one took the creature, smashing and dragging his face against the concrete roading--The other landed nearby. They also had black wings, but they were feathered and one of them had fuchsia highlights supported by a deep green in her feathers. She spotted me. She’s walking my direction. Anxiety swarmed my stomach and I was frozen in fear by the menacing Avian. She knocked on my window with her knuckle and I rolled it down; I got a better look at her. Bright beautiful emerald eyes, a bleached undercut that flowed to the right, green, pointy markings around the right eye, and her black colored wings were bigger than Tim’s. She had a black leather biker jacket, mask with silver rings and spikes that covered her nose and mouth, combat boots, and biker gloves that matched her mask--Her black jeans were ripped, and she had an olive green tank top underneath the jacket; she must really like black leather.  
“I suggest you leave now and forget any of this ever happened before you get severely hurt,” She said strictly with her strong low voice, almost confirming if I stayed. I pressed on the gas and turned out; a loud pop made me jump, the gunshot echoed throughout the garage and city streets. Flipping the turn signal, I stopped and waited for the lane to clear up. My wheels screamed as I took a sharp right turn on Harphard Street, avoiding the chaos that found me and mind racing about that hellish creature I encountered. He was one of Tim’s kind, but I couldn’t tell what it was.  
It was another boring day at the hospital; paperwork, nursing people, making appointments, and a patient came in with a fishhook somehow pierced through their bottom lip. That’s mysterious by itself. I was hoping for something more serious like removing a tumor or kidney stones or something--Maybe a malfunctioning organ, I don’t know, I just wanted something more interesting to do to distract me from this morning.  
My phone rang, the screen reflecting Victoria’s tan face, brown eyes, and wavy brown hair. She knows the normal time I get off work and she was on point.  
“Dani, guess who’s here,” The speaker mimicked her voice. “It’s your boyfriend.”  
“Don’t even tease about that,” I warned through the phone.  
“He’s looking for you. When will you get here?”  
“Give me thirty minutes and keep him preoccupied.”  
“Okay. And he’s still wearing those wings. I thought he would change outta that cosplay by now.”  
“Don’t judge, Vicky.”  
I hung up and went to clock out for the day.  
Back at the apartment, I opened the door and tossed my keys on the counter, dropping my bag beside it. Tim laid eyes on me.  
I sat on the couch. “So, how’s it going?”  
“Just getting to know each other,” Tim answered. “And now that you’re here, I think it’s time to talk truthfully.”  
“You’ve been lying?” Asked Victoria.  
“Both of us.”  
“But Dani never lies! And she’s a bad liar at that!”  
I didn’t take any offense, I knew it was true.  
“Please--Just--Don’t freak out. I’m trusting you two with this secret,” Tim began to unbutton his vest, then the shirt. Victoria grew suspicious as to why he was undressing in front of us, but also curious to see his chest. His wings and large feathers fit through the holes of his tops, then he tossed them both on the couch. Vicky and I stared at his pale fit muscles--Strong chest and a half visible six pack. His arms and shoulders were chiseled, and when he turned around and opened his wings, his back muscles were a Michelangelo masterpiece--Perfect lining down the spine and shoulder blades, even the pelvis linings. The wings were attached between his shoulder blades and spine, the small white feathers scattered around them on his skin. He moved his wings separately to prove they weren't handmade and that they were part of his body. Victoria lost her words to the sight of his gorgeous angelic body.  
“Th-those… wings,” She stuttered. “If those are real… W-what are you…?”  
He turned to us. “Now that you are exposed to the truth… Dani… I--” Tim was taken across the room by something with black feathers, and another, the same one that talked to me earlier this morning, flew in and shot me an untrusting look. Tim was held in a headlock by another Avian. The Avian’s wings were almost as black as his hair, and his hair was cut in an undercut similar to the girl and a white streak flowed from the middle of his hairline. He wore an open brown leather jacket, black jeans, black leather steel-toe combat boots, an armored black chestplate with a red bat on his chest, steel shin guards, and a brown leather gun holster belt that strapped around his thighs with pistols inside. His eyes were amber, and the markings around the right eye were red in a grim design. He had burn scars all over him in the strangest pattern, they made me curious about his death.  
“How’s my little wing?” The Avian scrubbed his knuckles on Tim’s head, shuffling his raven hair.  
“I’m older than you, remember?” Tim replied.  
“Yeah, but you’re smaller. And by the way, I’m physically older, Timbers.”  
Tim pushed himself away from the Avian’s grasp and stood up straight. “Jason, did you get drunk with Dionysus again?”  
So that’s his name. Jason. Then who’s the other?  
“You’re the same two from the garage this morning,” I remembered.  
“That’s what we’re here to talk to you about, ma’am,” The Avian girl replied.  
“Dani, you didn’t interact with these two, did you?” Tim’s eyebrows curled up a little bit, voice soft and concerned.  
“No. She came to me and told me to drive away for my safety,” I confessed. Why didn’t Tim want me to interact with them? What kind of Avians were they?  
“What happened this morning? Is she in trouble because of me?”  
“Well considering you broke the rules,” Said the Avian girl. “You know you are not allowed to interfere with a mortal’s fate.”  
“What was I supposed to do? Nothing? It’s my job to protect her!”  
“Your job is to watch over her, not save her ass from death!”  
“I don’t see the difference. She’s my responsibility, and I’m protecting her my way.”  
“Lay off him, Charlie,” Jason stood in front of Tim as a sign of protection. “His instincts are not his fault.”  
“You’re calling that instinct? Well, why don’t we give him to that Incubus we lost and see where his ‘instincts’ will take him!”  
“You fought an Incubus?” Tim cut in. “You know you can’t win against a Demigod.”  
“Artemis sent us to hunt it down. It’s wanted across the board.”  
“Aren't they all? I hope she knows what she’s doing--I wouldn’t want our best Warriors to perish in such a way. Was there a Succubus involved?”  
“Just the Incubus,” Jason answered. “And I’m looking forward to sticking a bullet in his face.”  
The Avians stopped their discussion and turned their heads to us humans.  
“They heard too much.”  
“Jay, take care of them,” Charlie commanded.  
Jason approached me. He was more menacing up close and personal, towering my height.  
“Jason, don’t do it!” Tim pleaded. “If it makes you feel better, I will do it myself.”  
“Don’t even think about disobeying, not that I trust you anyway,” Charlie almost threatened.  
“Look Charlie, just because you were captain of a special ops squad in World War I, doesn’t give you the right to order me or Jason around like dogs.”  
“That’s Captain Rogers to you,” She stood menacingly above him.  
“Like I give a damn,” Tim growled.  
The two Avians snarled at each other. Jason went back to them, he bent down and whispered in Tim’s ear. “I got her, you take care of the girls,” He took Charlie and pressed his mouth to hers as a distraction. She shoved him off, and he smiled backing away to the balcony--He dashed outside and took off by air.  
“Get back here!!” She chased after him as he led her away.  
“Tim?” I stared at him frightened. “What are you going to do?”  
“Charlie wants me to wipe your memory of our existence,” He approached me. “But I’m not going to do that,” He took his white button shirt from the couch and pulled it over his arms and wings, and began to button. He walked up to Victoria who was frozen in place and set a hand on her forehead. Red magic illuminated from his hand and markings, then pulled his hand away. “Now she’s completely oblivious about Jason and Charlie.”  
“Who?” Vicky's brainwashed mind couldn’t understand.  
“Nobody of your concern.”  
“I thought she wanted you or Jason to kill us,” I exclaimed.  
“We can’t. We would be committing a crime and banished from Heaven. It’s not of Avian nature to kill or murder a mortal such as yourself. The only divine beings known to do that are those who serve Aries, Hades, even Anubis.”  
“I heard you mention Artemis and Dionysus earlier. Gods.”  
“Artemis is one of the gods Jason serves. And Dionysus is a party animal. I wouldn’t be around him if I were you unless you wanted to get wasted. I serve Athena, Thoth, any God and Goddess of knowledge and wisdom.”  
“And the creature they saved me from… was an Incubus?”  
“Seems so. It’s most likely he only wanted your body for his pleasure, and Demigods of Hell are dangerously sexual. Many children have been bred because of their desire. They are also very hard to kill, which is why Jay and Charlie had trouble. This war is not over, and I fear it never will be.”  
“What war?” Victoria stood closer in our triangle.  
“The Holy War has been going on for millenia between Heaven and Hell since the beginning of space and time to this present day. Though the hellish call it the Cursed War. I have fought battles led by Athena, Artemis, Hercules, Odin and Thor, and for a drunk, Dionysus is an excellent leader. I have seen more death than you could possibly imagine… thousands of Avians… Multiple Paladins… Gone like a drop of water in the ocean. If you want true horror stories, ask Charlie or Dick about the battles they fought.”  
Dick. He must be another Avian friend of Tim’s.  
“So,” Tim paused. “Are we good about this Avian-angel thing? Can I trust you to keep this a secret for me?”  
“Yes,” I answered. “Maybe not Victoria, she’s a tattletail.”  
“Hey!” Her head jerked my direction.  
“But… You said it was your job to protect me, and you were doing it your way.”  
“That’s what I was trying to talk about before they flew in,” He stood closer to me, his face inches from mine. “I was assigned to you by the Gods the second you were born. I’ve been watching over you for twenty-two years and twenty days. I gave you luck when things went wrong--I was that luck. I was the one who came into your room at night and projected images in your head before you started dreaming to warn you of future events that would happen to you. I am your guardian angel, Dani,” He took my hand in his gentle grasp and brought it up to his mouth, pecking my knuckles sincerely. He lowered it down slowly, then left to the couch for his vest and flew off the balcony.  
That’s what he meant about ‘my thesis.’  
Tim kept returning night after night. As the weeks progressed, I began to notice he was growing impatient. He eyed my lips every time I talked, he hugged me every time he saw me, he offered to watch a movie or show, and every time we did, we cuddled.  
I had a burning question I wanted to ask.  
“Have you seen Michael?” I asked in desperation.  
“Who?”  
“My little brother. He and my parents were killed in a safari in Africa a couple years ago… He was only fourteen years old,” I whimpered. I sniffed and tried to hold back my mourning tears.  
“I’m sorry… I’ll go see if I can find him the next time I’m in Heaven.”  
“I miss him so bad, Tim,” I broke out into tears. He brought his arms around me, pressing his body to mine as he comforted me in his embrace. My arms were tucked in his chest between us and I cried in his shoulder while he cradled my head. Tim understood my pain and loss. He lost some of his friends and family to tuberculosis and other deadly illnesses in the 19th century. He soaked in my sorrowful sadness, transforming it into loving comfort and injecting me with it. There was a soft peck on my head, so light I didn’t know it was there at first. My silent crying calmed into the eye of the storm. I shuffled my hands to my eyes to wipe away the remaining tears, and spotted the wet spots I left on his fancy black vest. I forced myself to look inside his eyes of sapphires. Staring into them, butterflies swarmed my stomach; he leaned closer.  
I planted my hands on his chest and followed his lead with squinting eyes. I stopped. “I shouldn’t.”  
Our lips were only a centimeter away.  
“Is something wrong?” He asked softly.  
“I don’t know… I--You’re,” I stumbled on my words.  
“What is it?”  
“Tim. I don’t think we’re compatible. You’re--I don’t think undead is a proper word to use, but something like that--You know what I mean. I love you, Tim,” I pecked his lips. “But… You’re a special Avian, and I’m just a simple human. You out-everything me. Outlive, outsmart, out--”  
“Does it matter? Love can’t stop you from those factors. If love is what you truly feel, don’t hold it back. I love you, too--I know you feel strange about it, but I’m still the old human me I was a century ago.”  
“That’s one of my points. I only lived twenty-two years, and you lived over a century.”  
“Do I look a century to you?”  
“No. I know you’re aging stopped at twenty-one, but…”  
“Don’t worry about it. We share the same age difference. If you just listen to your heart,” He mindlessly leaned closer again. “It has all the answers you’re looking for…”  
“Just this once,” I murmured, referencing kissing.  
“Noted…”  
I let him kiss me. His hold grew tighter around my back as he moaned in pleasure. The love he planted on my lips was a wonderland I didn’t want to escape from, like I was Alice and he brought me down the rabbit hole filled with the mysteries of a Cheshire Cat.  
Two shadows in the night flew in on the balcony, walking in through the open slide door.  
“Tim,” A deep voice boomed.  
Tim jumped, eyes wide and shocked. He spun around, blocking me with his wing. “Bruce!”  
I pulled Tim’s feathers down to peak at our visitors.  
Two Avians stood in front of the darkness. The bigger one had black armor on with what looked like a bat symbol on his chest and a cape on his shoulders. His raven hair slicked back, a purple design on the right eye with piercing cyan eyes like moonstone. His size said he’s muscular, he’s the tallest Avian I’ve seen. He had a beautiful face structure. Defined cheekbones, a strong jaw, and a perfect nose. His wings were the brightest detail; mostly blue and cyan, highlighted with purple, red, yellow, and magenta. He must be one of those Paladins I heard about. The other I hadn’t seen before either. He stood about four inches smaller, but equally muscular. He was tan, his black bangs flowed to the left and a little to the right. His markings were blue around the same eye as the other Avians, and his eyes were a soft gold supported by his beautiful face. He looked relatively younger, just a few years older than Tim like Jason and Charlie. His wings were white and brown, giving off a hawk-like vibe. He wore an olive green World War II officer uniform with badges on his chest and sleeves, and it looked fresh and undamaged.  
“What do you think you’re doing?” The Paladin demanded an answer. “You know revealing yourself to this mortal could put us all at risk.”  
The tan Avian planted a hand on his shoulder. “Take it easy with him. You know what’s going on with him, don’t you?”  
“I am well aware. Saving a mortal’s life is against guardianship. You are to watch over her, not interact with her.”  
“Bruce. Can’t you see? He’s in love. There’s nothing against Avians showing romantic love for humans.”  
“Dick,” Tim began. “You don’t have to defend me. I know I broke the rules just to protect her and keep her alive, but no matter what… As her guardian angel, you can’t stop me from protecting her my way. Even if it costs my wings, I would much rather be with Dani than watch over her from afar. She’s my responsibility, and I couldn’t be more thankful to be assigned to her.”  
“Tim, you need to erase her memory,” Bruce commanded.  
“No. I’m not making her forget me. I can’t.”  
Bruce drew near.  
What looked like a black and red staff with a broad blade on one end and a spear blade on the other materialized in Tim’s hand in thin air as his markings glowed red, he pointed the large blade at the Paladin. “You are not touching her!” He growled.  
“Disintegrate the guandao, Tim.”  
“Not until you back away right now and leave Dani alone.”  
“Calm down, you’re going rogue. Think about this,” Bruce crept closer.  
The guandao disappeared and a gold and red arrow materialized in Tim's hand, throwing it like a dart. The arrow carved into Bruce’s shoulder, then he snatched me and dashed off the balcony, flying off in the city with me in his arms.  
“Tim!” Dick called. He moved to follow us.  
“Don’t,” Bruce stopped him, holding the bloody wound on his shoulder. “He was scared. He needs time on his own.”  
“The Gods are not going to be happy about this…”  
I squeezed the back of Tim’s vest and hid my face in his shoulder, terrified of the flight and the possibility of him dropping me. I never liked heights. He performed a half barrel roll, soaring like swimming across the air on his back with me on top of him. He carefully let go of me and took the goggles from his head, putting them on my face to protect my eyes, then held me again. “Hold on tight,” He said.  
I crossed my legs around him and I reached my hands’ limit as I squeezed tighter, burying my face again. He half barrel rolled again and gave his wings a powerful flap, boosting his speed. I was glad to feel his feet gently touch the ground, and I lowered mine down. His hands slid down my back to my hips. I pulled myself off him and removed the goggles from my head, and put them around his neck. “Tim, why did you do that? You attacked a Paladin!”  
“I was… I’m too afraid to lose you like that. I don’t want you to forget me,” He confessed.  
“Tim…”  
“Please… Understand I was trying to protect you…”  
I held his face and pulled him into a small kiss. It didn’t occur to me until now. “Where are we?” I scanned around. Fear overrode my stomach. It was a dark graveyard lit by moonlight--Light misty fog hovered above the ground like clouds. Looking back at him, his attention was drawn to a grave to the right of me; I tore my eyes to it. I read the tombstone standing out from the healthy green grass. “‘Timothy J. Drake. Born July 19, 1875, died December 3, 1896,” I took a moment to take in what was in front of me. “Oh… This is your resting place.”  
“I wonder… Who knows how decayed I am under our feet.”  
“I don’t want to know. We would see the outline of your sockets. Your jawline and cheekbones would be more defined. You would be so skinny, and your muscle would most likely be gone. Your stab mark would still be there. You may be discolored, and you would be so fragile. You’re probably dressed in a tuxedo.”  
“Tailcoat, actually. With a ruffled shirt and bowtie.”  
“Makes sense, considering you’re from the Victorian era,” I continued to stare at his tombstone. I dropped on my knees and rested my hand on the head. “You were telling the truth this whole time.”  
“Every word.”  
“If only I knew you when you were human. No wings. No magic. Just… human.”  
“No you don’t. If you lived the time I died, you would have to suffer mourning my death,” Tim kneeled beside me, planting a hand on my back. “I wouldn’t want that for you…”  
“Why did you take me here?”  
“I wanted you to know.”  
“I fell in love with the spirit and not the physical man himself,” I muttered to myself.  
“I can hear you clearly, you know. And that’s just how it works. My ghost, or spirit if you will, was guided to the Holy Court by Hermes while my physical body was displayed for a funeral, then buried right here beneath our feet.”  
There was a silent pause between us. Crickets played their music everywhere in the shadows.  
“So you’re from Gotham,” I guessed.  
“Yes. Compared to these days, it felt more like a criminal infested town than a criminal infested city.”  
“I wonder what it was like back then.”  
“I can tell you all about it another time.”  
The more I stared at Tim’s tombstone, the more fear I felt crawling up my spine in the most unpleasant way. “Tim. Get us out of here. I don’t want to be here anymore. I feel strange about this.”  
“I know, it’s unsettling. I felt that too the first time I visited my own grave,” Tim took off his flight goggles. “You’ll want these again. I'm pretty sure Dick and Bruce left your apartment by now.”  
“Are you sure?”  
“What did I just tell you? I’m pretty sure they’re gone. Take the goggles.”  
I followed his orders and placed them on my face. I wrapped my arms around his neck and jumped, he caught my legs with the other arm around my back, carrying me with no effort at all; I was as light as an atom to him. His wings rose high like a phoenix and darted at the ground, lifting us off into the autumn wind. I wasn’t sure if I liked being carried this way or the other way when he flies.  
Tim dropped me off back at home. I asked him to stay with me again for the night, still in fear of the creepy dark graveyard--I wanted him to be my dreamcatcher for the night.  
I stood on the balcony leaning on the handrail and the morning breeze crashed on my face and pushed through my long auburn hair. Short black hair hung in front of me, then Tim’s upside down face lowered in place of it. I booped his nose and we grinned.  
“You’ll get lightheaded if you stay there,” I warned him.  
“No I won’t.”  
“Hey, thanks for staying with me last night. I wouldn’t have slept as well if you weren’t there.”  
“No problem. I always enjoy being with you, unconscious or otherwise.”  
“It’s Spook-tober and I’m wondering if you want to watch Friday the 13th with me tonight?”  
“A horror film? I’m not much for scares and gore for entertainment.”  
“I’m not either, but it’s a tradition me and Vicky started.”  
“‘Vicky and I,’” Tim corrected me.  
“I know. I’m still waking up. So… You up for it?”  
He thought about it. “Sure. It is Halloween month.”  
Tim and I hung out a little longer with Victoria before I went off to the bank to get a check converted into cash.  
I waited in line, then a band of robbers in masks with MK47s busted in and demanded money with no fuss, and they warned us not to try anything and to stay as silent as the dead. Screams rang out as a window shattered and the shards chimed as they hit the marble floor. A thousand bullets screamed at me, but I was shielded by something white and black and held tight.  
“Stay behind me,” Tim muttered to me.  
My eyes were screwed shut and I tensed into Tim’s chest as he took all bullets, and the robbers kept firing, wasting their magazines.  
His eyes widened and his brows curved downward. “Son of b*tch shot my head! Will you excuse me,” He let go of me and backed away towards the barrage, still barricading the ammunition with his wings and body. He turned around in less than a second to maintain the safety of mortal people. With his magic, he constructed a gold and red bow with three arrows drawn on the string, walking towards them and aimed horizontally, then fired. The arrows pierced through three men in their livers, taking them out. He drew another three, but took a shot in the eye, making him blink it out and lose target. He rotated his draw vertically and shot one man in the forehead, solar plexus, and bladder. One approached him with a metal baton and swung it at him, breaking it on his face, but his head didn’t move at all. Tim rolled his eyes and clutched the robber’s shirt and threw him across the room, making him unconscious on impact. A black and red guandao formed in his other hand as the bow disappeared. He tossed it up and it spun a 180 and landed back in his hand--He raised it to his head, took a step, and threw it like a spear. The broad end tore through the last robber’s stomach and the blade stuck to the wall, pinning him to it. Tim launched forward at him, making the robber’s body slide down the pole of the guandao and against the wall with Tim’s hand on his throat.  
“What… Are you…?” The robber took his last breaths.  
“You’re worst nightmare,” Tim snarled.  
A red-eyed black and brown cobra slithered at me, hissing and fangs out. I screamed, tripped over my own stumbling. I was frozen in terror on the floor as it slithered on me, ready to inject poison with its brutal fangs in its crucial bite. Tim ripped his bloody guandao out the dead robber and rushed my direction. He stabbed the spear end in the cobra’s tail, making the marble crack. It hissed louder, almost like a scream in pain.  
“Dani, move!” His voice boomed.  
“I can’t!” Fear took my voice and it came out breathy.  
He took me from under the armpits and dragged me away. The cobra transformed into a woman with black and burgundy dragon wings. Her white markings were on the left side, unlike Avians. Her black eyes were pierced with purple of tanzanite, and her hair was a long and wavy dark chocolate on her light skin. She had the most scandalous outfit on like she was waiting for a man to give her a good time.  
Her ankles oozed blood with Tim’s guandao impaled through them. She clutched at my leg, digging her sharp black nails in my skin like needles. Tim stomped on her wrist, making her grasp unravel, she yelped in pain. I took the chance to crawl away.  
“You used those men as your goons. You forced me to kill and injure them, and I demand to know why!” Tim growled.  
The Reaper chuckled. “Quit acting like you’re the authorities, Avian. In reality, you are just like us.”  
“I’m nothing like you!”  
“You can’t run from the truth. Even your Gods aren’t all goody-two-shoes. They’re greedy. Drowning with pride. They don’t care about you--You mean nothing to them. They just want you to help them win this cursed war, even if it costs your life. You’re nothing but a muse to them.”  
“Shut up,” Tim’s throat graded. When she opened her mouth, he stomped on her throat before she could speak again. “Not. Another. Word. I don’t want to hear it,” His eyes peeled away to me. He considered his next move. “Dani. I need you to go home. I don’t want you to see this…”  
“But--” I protested.  
“Go. I’ll see you tonight.”  
I hesitated. I took my bag from the floor and casually walked out to my car and drove home, my brain racing of what Tim would do to her. I took a hot shower to let the steam drown my thoughts and memory, to forget what I just saw and hope I don’t remember, but a memory like that will never die, not in a million years. I pulled on a pair of fluffy sweatpants and a sleepshirt to make me feel more comfortable; I still wondered what Tim did to that Reaper, and if he’s alright. I took a mint dark chocolate bar from the fridge, and lied down on the couch with The Big Bang Theory playing on the TV in front of me as I gnawed on my chocolate, impacted by this afternoon. I tried hard not to think about how Tim injured and killed those six men to protect me and the other people, you wouldn’t think an angelic creature like him would do such a thing. Has he ever killed bad people before? Has he ever taken a life? With him, I could never know. My spine crawled thinking about it. I never wanted to think of him as someone who would kill to protect innocence. What exactly is Tim capable of?  
I hoped Sheldon, and Leonard, and Penny, and Raj, and Amy, and Howard, and Bernadette would all just make me laugh and forget today, but they failed--So I did what I thought was the only other option to cope. Scare it out of me. I had The Exorcist playing on the DVD player in hopes my fear of today would just go the hell away, and it worked. I continued to watch horror movies like Child’s Play, Scream, The Mothman Prophecies, Annabelle, and The Shining; I saved watching Friday the 13th for Tim like I said I’d do this morning. My terror of the movies dominated every other emotion in my body.  
There was a knocking on the balcony door. I jumped to the sudden noise, already on edge from watching about seven horror movies in a row. I opened the curtains and Tim stood behind the glass in the twilight; not a single scratch from the bullets laid on him. I hurriedly unlocked the door and opened it, then I jumped into his arms. “Ohmygawd, you’re not dead!” I breathed.  
Tim’s hold on me was tight and secure. “Are you okay?”  
“Oh, you know. Just scaring memories of the bank out of me.”  
“I’m sorry… I wish you didn’t have to see that… I wish you didn’t have to see me do that…”  
When I stared at his face, there was something on his cheek. I wiped it away with my thumb. “You have ash on your face,” No. Not ash. Dust. Her dust was all over him. “What did you do to that Reaper?”  
“She’s dead,” He answered calmly. “She gave me a hard time, but I took care of her.”  
“You killed her…?”  
“That’s the price of war. Without us to retaliate, Hell would break loose and the world would fall into chaos and ruin. We are at war with them, and the price of war unfortunately is fatal. You understand, right?” He seemed afraid to lose me due to his actions, that I wouldn’t like him because of them.  
I nodded faintly.  
“Thank you,” He whispered. He squeezed tighter, his face was in my neck. “Let’s go inside…”  
I let him go and we strolled inside. I paused the movie at mid-scream.  
He spoke again. “You’re watching horror movies without me?”  
“I’ve been waiting to watch Friday the 13th with you.”  
“Okay. Staying true to your word,” He paused. “Listen. I brought someone you might want to see…”  
A small figure walked into the living room from outside. His feathered wings were in shades of light and dark brown, eyes were citrine orange with yellow markings on the right side. His chocolate hair was fuzzy and short, his face was young and innocent, but claw scars coated him head to toe. I clapped my mouth and eyes flooded as tears rushed down my red face. “Michael…?”  
Tim bent over to the boy’s ear, eyes locked on me, and whispered to him.  
The boy charged at me and held me in his arms, his face jammed in my shoulder as he cried. “I missed you so much!”  
I cradled his head and embraced his back. “I missed you too, Mikey…”  
Tim felt lighthearted as he watched my reunion with my little brother, he couldn't help but give a gentle smile.  
“I love you, Dani,” Mikey spoke softly.  
“I love you too,” I murmured.  
“You can have your sister’s chocolate,” Tim looked at Mikey, “She stashes it in the fridge,” then winked at him.  
“Can I?” Michael looked up at me with puppy dog eyes.  
“Sure,” I chuckled.  
Mikey let go of me and strolled straight into the kitchen towards the fridge. I folded my arms and stared at Tim in disappointment for revealing my chocolate, he shrugged at me. I let myself forget that detail and hugged him.  
“Thank you so much, Timothy,” I whimpered. “You have no idea how much this means to Mikey and I…”  
“You never called me that before.”  
“I thought it was appropriate for the current mood,” I pulled away. “How did you find him? Isn’t Heaven a big place?”  
Michael jumped on my back like I was his piggyback ride with a bar of milk chocolate in his hand. “It’s huge!”  
Tim and I giggled. Tim spoke, “And it’s easier when you have wings. All I did was look for someone that looks like you,” then he paused for a moment. “I also found your parents.”  
“What did you do?”  
“I talked to them. Your father doesn’t seem very fond of me… Especially to the idea that I’m your guardian angel.”  
“That’s Dad for you. He’s always been overprotective for me when it came to boys. And… Mom?”  
“She’s a sweet, kindhearted woman. She loves you so much.”  
More tears escaped my eyes. “Thank you… This means so much. …you’re the best…”  
“Don’t cry!” Mikey begged. “Please?”  
My mouth curled into a smile. “You haven’t changed a bit, Mikey. You’re still the silly little goofball I’ve always known.”  
Tim couldn’t help but grin at us. “It’s nice to see you with your brother again. You two always gave me laughs when you played together. That was your golden age,” Then his smile faded, “Michael,” he began. “I think it’s time.”  
“Oh,” Mikey sounded down, he slid himself off my back.  
“What?” I was confused.  
“He has to go back. I was only able to bring him here for a short amount of time,” Tim answered.  
“Really?” I took Mikey and planted a big kiss on his forehead. “Tell Mom and Dad I love them, okay?” I squeezed him into one last hug and rested my head on his.  
“Okay,” He didn’t want to go.  
“And you can keep my chocolate. I miss you already.”  
“Me too.”  
“I love you, Mikey.”  
“I love you too.”  
I let him go and watched him fly up into the night clouds, and I truly missed him when he left, it hurt me. Tim pressed his body against mine with his arms around my belly and watched outside with me. Turning to him, there was something different about him. His wings drooped to the floor. “Tim? Are you okay? Your markings are black,” They should be red--Not as black as his hair.  
“I’m fine,” He breathed.  
“No, you’re not. You’re drained.”  
“It’s fine,” Then he grunted, stumbling and falling over.  
I caught him and he gripped my shoulders, his head was on the end of my collarbone. He tried to stand, but his legs kept failing on him.  
“You have to sit, you’re fatigued,” I continued.  
“I’m fine, I can handle it,” He lied.  
“Stop pretending you’re alright, Tim! Even you have limits!” I brought him to the couch and set him down. He slouched, head laid back, arms limp by his side, wings still drooped, and legs wide open. I sat down next to him, careful not to sit on his feathers. “How? Why did you do this to yourself?”  
He stayed silent for a second. Then spoke. “I was healing you…”  
“Why? I’m not hurt.”  
“Yes you are… It’s all in your head…”  
I was confused. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  
“You suffer from depression due to the loss of your family… You’re traumatized by me… I was healing you from those…”  
I was speechless. “Tim, I,” Again. Speechless. “You didn’t have to use up all your magic for me.”  
“That was my choice, wasn’t it…?” His eyes shifted to mine.  
I planted a hand on his chest and closed in on him. There wasn’t much he could do to me if he wanted to, his body almost completely gave up on him for draining himself from magic. “Thank you for bringing Mikey. For letting me see him one more time.”  
“It’s the least I could do for you… I couldn’t resist your request…”  
“Thank you. … So,” I began in a flirty tone. “Since you’re going to be stuck here for a while until you get your magic back… You wanna watch that movie?”  
“Seems like I don’t have a choice…”  
“You can’t go back on your word! You said you’d watch it with me!”  
“I did, didn’t I…?”  
“Yes! You did!”  
Tim watched Friday the 13th with me. I snuggled with him in fear of the visuals, it was nice to see and feel he shared the same frights as he held me closer. I hid my face in his chest to the sight of Jason Vorhees dismembering his next victim, Tim’s hand stroked the back of my neck and the other held my wrist on his collarbone. Even though he was frightened by the movie, Tim was able to handle the graphics and gore; he had been in many battles, experiencing sights and images of Avians and Reapers killing each other in gruesome ways that burned in his brain. I couldn’t possibly imagine what the Holy War looked like, what the Avian children and elders did. Did they fight with the rest of them, or did the Gods hold them back for their safety? Did they only have the mature Avians fight? Or did they all fight no matter their age? I liked to think the elders and children weren’t sent out to battle for their safety, but the purpose of Avians was to fight back against evil and watch over humanity. Warriors and guardians of order--While Reapers were Warriors and guardians of chaos.  
It was probably a bad idea going to bed right after watching a horror movie, nightmares of Jason from the movie may haunt my dreams. I woke up to puffs of air blown down my neck and weight on my body. That’s when I realized Tim’s face was to my neck and half his body piled on me, his arm lied across my ribs and dangled from the edge of the bed and his wing blanketed us under the sheets; I could feel his chest expand and contract with his inhales and exhales. I turned my body on the side to him, and I stroked his shoulder. I moved it to his neck and drifted upwards to his cheek, gently brushing away his bangs. His face twitched to the tickling of his hair, still pretending to sleep. He peeked an eye at me, the colors of his markings were back to normal and still complimented his sapphire eyes. He held me close in his warm arms and went for the neck. I nudged him away, his pleading eyes remembered he used up his only chance to kiss me, he looked at me with an apologizing face. I gave him a soft smile, wiping my thumb across his temple. I always told myself we were just friends, but it’s obvious we’re more. I knew that and I don’t know why I refused to admit it.  
“Why’d you sleep with me?” I mumbled positively in curiosity.  
“You looked lonely… Like you needed someone by your side,” Tim murmured honestly. “Did you sleep okay? No nightmares?”  
“No, I’m fine.”  
“Did you see me at all? Or anything with wings?”  
“No, I didn’t dream last night.”  
Tim remained silent. He brought his hand from my back and cupped my jaw, his eyes concerned. “You’re not… scared of me… are you? Nothing’s changed?”  
“Tim… You’re still worried about me and yesterday? You saved me again. You saved those people. I just wish it would’ve ended differently, but that doesn’t change anything between us. What did you do with those people before you left?”  
His expression showed he was caught off guard. “I removed all traces of my existence--Memories and footage.”  
“And that cobra-Reaper?”  
“Everybody in Hell are shapeshifters. They are able to take the form of any feared animal at will--Serpents, reptiles, and large arachnids being the most popular choice.”  
“That’s terrifying.”  
“That’s why they do it. It’s their weapon of fear.”  
“Tim… Do you want to go out today?”  
He looked at me surprised like it was finally his chance to kiss me again.  
“As friends?”  
“You’re still conflicted with your feelings, are you?”  
I didn’t answer like I was shameful.  
“I don’t judge you,” He continued. “It’s understandable. I will follow along with whatever makes you happy.”  
“Tim,” I paused. “I want you to be happy, too. It’s not all about me,” I sat up from his wing and the blanket rolled down my body onto my lap.  
Tim followed my action, and I noticed his naked chest, and made my stomach flare hard. I hoped he was wearing pants, but it felt weird if I checked under the blanket, so I didn’t bother.  
I dangled my legs on the side of the bed and stood. “Tim, don’t take this personally, but I’m kicking you out of my room.”  
“What? Too embarrassed to change in front of me?” He cocked his head to the side.  
“Yes. That’s exactly it. I can’t trust you with that much skin yet.”  
“Yet?” He smirked with curiosity.  
I froze, blushing. “Just get out!”  
Unphased by my loud burst, he spoke calmly. “Of course,” He removed himself from my bed and picked up his shirt and vest at the end, then left and closed the bedroom door.  
At least he was wearing pants.  
I walked out in a pink crop top, dark blue jeans, and knee-high boots, all supported by light makeup. Tim stared at me in awe, then approached me subtly. “Beautiful,” He murmured. “You trying to impress me now?”  
“What?” He made me feel lost with my words. “No! I just felt like wearing this. Do you want me to change into something that makes you more comfortable?”  
“No,” He held my hips. “No. You look absolutely beautiful, I could just kiss you.”  
I put my hand on his shoulder and kissed his cheek. “Does that suffice?”  
Tim stared at me, processing the moment. He grinned. “Very much,” Then he was silent for a second. “Listen. I wasn’t trying to push you. It was just a little fun.”  
“For ‘a little fun’, you sounded like a lover,” I walked out of his hands for my keys on the counter near the wall.  
“I’m sorry.”  
“Just because I let you sleep in my bed, doesn’t mean I’m ready for that kind of humor yet.”  
“You said it again.”  
“What?”  
“‘Yet.’ You’re afraid of commitment.”  
“You’re right--I am. Maybe I’m just not ready to admit it.”  
“I can’t tell if you're being sarcastic or serious.”  
I completely ignored his confusion. “Before I forget, Vicky and I are having friends over tonight. But you can come over again tomorrow night.”  
“Okay?” Tim grew suspicious.  
Tim and I walked around the streets of Gotham City. I felt like getting ice cream, so we stopped by Dairy Queen. The worker behind the counter complimented Tim’s wings and asked if he made them.  
“Yes,” I lied. “He’s cosplaying. Right, babe?”  
“What?” Tim looked at me. His face expressed the ‘what did you call me?’ vibe.  
I elbowed his ribs to make him play along.  
“Yup!” He cleared his throat.  
We left the place with our Blizzards. I eyed Tim’s brownie Blizzard; I took his spoon from him before he could eat his second bite and ate the ice cream, and stuck it back in his cup. He looked at me in thought. “So much for ‘just friends,’” He said.  
“I couldn’t resist. I just wanted a taste.”  
“You couldn’t just ask?”  
“Nope!” I grinned. “You keep trying to kiss me, so I thought ‘why not take his spoon?’ I hoped you wouldn’t mind.”  
“I don’t,” He snuck a peck on my cheek.  
Victoria and I hung out with our friends Tyler, Zach, Anastasia, and Cassandra at our apartment. I had a feeling I was being watched, Tim’s doing his guardian angel business, I could just tell. Vicky and Zach always looked adorable together as a fresh new couple. Tyler asked to speak with me on the balcony.  
After some friendly talk, Tyler asked me a question. “Do you want to go out with me?”  
I stared out into the city and thought. Then I came to a conclusion. “That’s really sweet, Ty, but I’m with someone else,” I looked at him in his green eyes and hoped I turned him down gently.  
“Oh, you are? Who?”  
“You’ve never met him. No one has really.”  
“Is he taller than me?”  
I giggled. “No. He’s smaller actually.”  
“What is he like?”  
“He’s sweet, gentle… and protective. Sometimes I like to think of him like my guardian angel.”  
“Hm. Sounds a lot like me.”  
“He’s not you. He’s different. He’s unique and special in his own way.”  
“Whoever he is, I hope he treats you well and takes good care of you. You deserve a good man, he’s lucky to have you.”  
“Thanks, Tyler. That means a lot,” I gave him a friendly smile. “I’m sorry I had to turn you down, I hate saying no.”  
“No, it’s understandable. I didn’t know you have a boyfriend.”  
“Thanks again.”  
“No problem.”  
Later that night, when our friends were gone and Vicky was in her room, Tim swooped in on the balcony where I stood. “Why did you lie to Tyler Quan?” He asked.  
“I don’t know,” I answered. “I never felt the same way for him.”  
“Interesting last name for an American. Curious ancestry. He’s awful nice for a boy from Las Vegas.”  
“Does that matter?”  
“Personally, I never liked that place.”  
“Why? The heat? Porn and gambling?”  
“None of the above. The city’s infested with sex demons. They absolutely love that city. They go there all the time just for lust and pleasure. Pirates especially.”  
“So Warriors and Demigods alike?”  
“Yes. That Reaper from the bank, it’s obvious she recently came from Las Vegas judging by her scandalous outfit. To us celestials, Las Vegas is the city of the damned. But you didn’t exactly answer my question.”  
“I told you--”  
“No you didn’t. You don’t have a boyfriend--You’re single.”  
“Am I?”  
Tim had a surprised expression, his pretty blues glowed in the moonlight. He drew closer, eyeing my lips. “I know you were talking about me. You were aware I was watching over you, so you were careful with your words.”  
He had me backing away until my back hit the closed slide doors. “Sometimes your super hearing is so unfair,” I murmured. “Where were you anyway?”  
“Oh, just lying on a fluffy cloud.”  
“Liar. You’d be wet if you tried.”  
“You caught me. I was a mile away.”  
“Why am I not surprised my guardian angel’s been stalking me?”  
“Because you know how it’s done.”  
I had something in mind, so I moved out of his close encounter and opened the slide door, letting him in, then closed it and locked it. I took him by the hand, leading him into my room, turned on the light and closed the door. He knew exactly what I wanted. I sat in the middle of my bed and waited as he unbuttoned his vest and took it off, then unbuttoned the shirt and opened it wide, revealing his well-built body, then the shirt came off, and the boots after that. Tim hesitated as he crawled on the bed, waiting for my word. I also hesitated, unsure if I should let it happen.  
“Screw it!” I jammed my mouth on his.  
He pushed me down and weaved his fingers through mine. Tim and I moaned in pure bliss and pleasure. My tongue scrapped under his teeth, and he began to french kiss back. To him, it felt like forever he was waiting to have romance like this with me, but even I could tell he wanted to go farther, he knew I wouldn’t let him though. This was almost just like my dream of him, except I was still in clothes. But the intense romance with a gorgeous shirtless man was the same. The dream was brought into reality. He slithered his arm under my back, and turned over until I lied on him, and the kissing continued. I pulled away from his hugging mouth to let myself yawn.  
“What is it?” Tim asked.  
“I think I’m getting tired. My eyes feel heavier.”  
“Then you should sleep.”  
“Stay with me?”  
“Of course.”  
I smiled and kissed him again, then removed myself from him, grabbed my pjs and changed in the bathroom. I came back out and tossed my clothes on the closet floor, and shut out the light. Tim was already laying on the right side of my bed, ready for me to snuggle with him. I crawled across the bed and plopped on his warm chest and he chuckled as he wrapped his arms around me. I rested my head down to his neck, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. He planted his palm on my neck and his thumb stroked my cheek. I lowered my chin to cuddle my face in his hand, he kissed my head.  
“Tim?” I called blissfully.  
He closed his wings over us. “Go to sleep, Dani.”  
“It’s important.”  
“What is it?”  
“I love you,” I finally confessed.  
Tim’s breath stuttered for a second and his thumb froze.  
I looked up at him and he gazed down at me. “I really do,” I said.  
He continued to stare, and he kissed me. “I love you, too,” He whispered. He stroked my cheek again. “I always have.”  
I brought my hand up to his face and grazed my knuckles across his cheek, brushing his long bangs aside. It slid down his jaw and stopped at the neck. I lowered my head down until his palm fit perfectly on my jawline, and he continued to stroke his thumb on my cheek. He rested his head back down on the pillow and closed his eyes; as a substitute for his inability to sleep, he put himself into deep relaxation.

Tim was chained down. He sat on his knees and tight shackles held his wrists out, his wings drooped to the ground. His eyebrows were curled upwards in worry and anxiety as he stared back at me, almost crying. He screamed my name. Not calling for help, but demanding me to run and leave him behind. I emotionally declined and tried running after him, but it was no use, he was still distanced from afar. The same shadowy figure with the sinister grin from my last dream drew near behind Tim with a running chainsaw, and laughed maniacally as he sawed down Tim’s wings. Tim screamed in immense pain, blood oozed, creating pools on the ground at his knees. The ground swallowed me whole into a cold body of water. My entire body burned in agonizing pain, my eyes flooded as I screamed and sobbed. At the top of the water on the sheet of clear ice was Tim covered in blood lying wingless and dead.

I gasped awake. My hand was planted on Tim’s chest and my head hovered over him, my eyes wide open and staring at his face.  
Tim jumped and leaned on his elbows, staring back at me in panic. “What--What happened--What’s wrong?” His palm cupped my neck.  
I continued to stare as my eyes watered into tears, I buried my face in his chest and cried.  
“Dani,” He stroked my head.  
I knew he wanted me to explain my nightmare to make sure it didn’t have divine beings in it, so I tried my best in my hiccuping stutter. “S-So much pain… Wingless… Death… I-I can’t handle it… I can’t lose you…”  
He used his magic to gather the images of my nightmare. “Oh no…”  
I begged him. “Help me…”  
Tim held me tighter and touched his face to my head. “I’m so sorry… Dani,” He whispered. “Look at me.”  
I forced myself to listen to him and bring my head up to gaze into his dark eyes.  
“I know what it means, and I won’t let this happen.”  
“What will you do…?”  
“The only way I have been doing it with you. Break some more rules.”  
“Are you sure that’s the wisest choice?”  
“Absolutely not. But you do crazy things when you’re in love,” Tim cupped my jaw. “One thing’s for sure, the Gods are going to kill me for this. Especially Zeus.”  
“Not actually, right?”  
“No. Metaphorically.”  
“Good. I would hate them if they actually did,” I rested my head back down on his chest. “You’re the best guardian angel a girl could ask for,” Then I realized I was lying in my own leftover tears. I sat on his belly and took the bottom of my shirt and wiped it off, then went back to my original comfy position. “Best. Ever. It’s not every day you get saved by your guardian angel and then fall in love with him. I’m so glad I met you…”  
“Me too,” He set himself back down on his back and his head on the pillow, and he embraced the arm he leaned on around my waist.  
I gazed up at him. “Gimme a kiss.”  
Tim bent his head over and gave me double kisses, twice as much than I originally asked for which gave me twice the enjoyment.  
The early morning sun started to glow through my blackout curtains. Tim peaked at the light and stroked my half asleep head. “Morning, Dani,” He murmured.  
“No…!” I mumbled. “Make it night again…!”  
“You know I can’t do that, love.”  
If I still denied my love for him, I would’ve asked him to not call me that, but since I gave in last night, I didn’t mind. He knew I was ready to accept it. “What time is it?”  
He moved his wing and slipped it under my iPhone across the bed and pulled it towards him. He reached an arm over and took it from the charger. “It’s a quarter past six,” He read the screen.  
An idea occurred in my head. “You wanna go for a morning flight?”  
Tim looked down at me surprised. Last time he took me for a flight to the graveyard, I was scared out of my mind. “Are you sure? You didn’t really like it last time.”  
“That was last time. I’ve never had an angel pick me up and fly off at the time. Now I know what to expect,” I lifted myself from his arms.  
“Now?”  
“Yes. Nothing’s better than a morning or night flight.”  
“Alright.”  
I left his warm, soft embrace and took a red and black flannel, black skinny jeans, a bra, and underwear from my closet and dresser and went straight to the bathroom to change.  
When I came out, he spoke. “Not sure why you kicked me out yesterday when you could’ve dressed in the bathroom like you did just now.”  
“I wasn’t thinking straight,” I answered. “I was still tired, and… Yeah.”  
Tim stood in front of the bed pulling his white button shirt on. Before he could button, I stopped him and ran my hands up his torso, and pecked the corner of his mouth. I turned away towards the closet for a jacket and shoes, but he took me by the arm and pulled me back into his chest and held me securely, and kissed my jaw. I removed his grasp from my waist and grabbed my navy blue, hooded military anorak jacket from a hanger and pulled it over my arms, after the socks, I put on a pair of deep brown tall leather boots. I turned to Tim and he was already buttoned up in his shirt and vest. I opened the button above his vest, a little more chest couldn’t hurt. I peeked into Victoria’s room to find that she’s still asleep, so I texted her Tim and I were going out. I knew she would see that when she wakes up. Outside on the balcony, I jumped into Tim’s arms. “Do you trust me this time to not scream?” He asked.  
“Yeah,” I answered. “I’ll just hide my face in your shoulder. Are you sure you don’t need the goggles?”  
“They’re just for style, I don’t really have a use for them. You ready?”  
“No.”  
Tim smirked. He stood on the handrail with effortless balance. I hid myself in his shoulder like I said and he jumped and spread his wings out, carrying us higher in the atmosphere.  
During our slow flight outside the city, Tim seemed focused on something else. “Do you hear that?”  
“Hear what?” I didn’t hear anything. I felt fear whirling deep in my stomach and spine.  
“It almost sounds like… I'm going to check it out,” Tim boosted the speed and descended a little lower.  
Then I heard it. Yelling. The clanging of metal. The popping of guns. Tim suddenly yelped and came pommeling to the ground. He dropped my legs and held me tight, then hit and scraped across the dead grass and dirt. He breathed heavily through the mouth and the tenseness in his body and face relaxed.  
I held myself above him and stared at him intensely. “Tim! Are you okay?”  
“No,” He breathed. “My wing… I’m grounded.”  
I saw the feathers on his right wing were stained in red.  
“Something shot me down.”  
I reached over and gently placed my hand on the bloodied wound, he grunted. “Sorry,” I apologized.  
“It’s not that big of a deal. It’s just a flesh wound.”  
“But it could get infected.”  
He looked at me like I was stupid.  
“Oh. Right. Well can you stand?”  
“Yeah. Only magic can damage me.”  
I pulled him up on his feet and looked around. Winged people were everywhere, Avians and Reapers fighting and killing each other.  
“Tim?” My fear intensified.  
“There’s a battle going on that I didn’t know about!? Hermes, you had one job!”  
We were on the Avian side of a battlefield.  
“Stay close,” Tim said. “And I mean it,” He took my wrist and dragged me with him to approach Dick, the Avian with the hawk wings, blue markings, and WWII uniform. “Dick! Who’s leading this battle?”  
“Athena,” Dick answered. “And some from other sortments.”  
“Athena? Why hasn’t she called me in?”  
“Because the war Gods are in charge. Zeus and Odin are leading from the court,” Dick threw a sharp metal ring at a Reaper. It sawed through the Reaper’s forehead, and seconds later, he faded to dust.  
“No wonder they didn’t call me in. They only wanted some from each sortment, but all from the war and strength sortment. That means Charlie’s here, and Jason no doubt.”  
“You’re not supposed to be here, Drake!” A small and very tan boy with short black hair, green markings, garnet red eyes, black, red, and gold wings, and a scar lined across his throat spoke in his grated voice. He wore all black and a hooded cloak, giving off that assassin vibe.  
“Too late, Damian! Deal with it!” Tim talked back with sass.  
Damian flew off and barrel rolled upwards, then spread out his wings to halt and threw green throwing knives at Reapers’ heads.  
“He looks so young!” I complained.  
“Damian Wayne, age ten. His assassin mother slit his throat and killed him for failing something in 1547,” Tim informed.  
“That’s awful! How is he still alive for something four centuries old?”  
“He’s the best warrior in the mischief and wealth sortment. And a huge brat. He always acts like he’s more superior than the Gods themselves like he’s better than them. I do not like him at all.”  
“Doth his mother know he weareth her drapes?”  
He turned his head to me confused.  
“Sorry. Iron Man reference.”  
Something then took Tim and dragged him against the ground, leaving a track like the crash landing from earlier, and pinned him down.  
Tim grunted. “The hell…?” Then he recognized the Reaper that tackled him. “You…!”  
“I thought I finally got rid of you when I killed you in your sleep!” The Reaper shouted.  
“You killed my family!”  
“And you took the woman I loved!”  
Tim was shocked. “That wasn’t my choice--I wasn’t even interested in her!”  
“Liar!”  
“I turned Stephanie down every time she tried! I did not love her! And she wasn’t worth killing everyone I loved!”  
“You’re a f*cking liar!” The Reaper formed a knife in his hand and dug the blade in Tim’s scar, and twisted slowly.  
Tim wailed in agonizing pain. His body thrashed helplessly as it continued. Jason took the tormenting Reaper by his wings and pressed his head against the point of his pistol and pulled the trigger, then threw him aside and left him in the grit to dust.  
I ran after Tim, dropping on my knees and sliding to him. “Tim!” I ripped the knife stuck in his chest and tossed it away.  
Low noises escaped his mouth from deep in his throat. I ripped open his vest and shirt, airing out his cut, and pressurized it in my hands. He grunted for a moment, then his expression loosened.  
I panicked. “Hold on…! I’ll get some help…!”  
“No,” Tim held my hand covered in his blood.  
“I can’t let you die!” I whimpered.  
“Don’t worry about me… I won’t…”  
“You need help! Please, Tim…!” I was about to lose it.  
He held my neck and pulled me closer, touching my forehead to his.  
I cupped his jaw and cried. My tears dropped on his cheekbones and slithered down his face. “…I love you… …so much…”  
His red markings began to glow. After a moment, he spoke. “I’m beginning to wonder if you opened my shirt just to see my chest,” He tried to add humor.  
I pulled away and gazed at him in shock. He smiled at me. I removed my remaining hand from his chest to find there was no wound but a scar and blood. He grinned and chuckled silently.  
“Don’t you ever scare me like that again!!” I yelled. “I thought you were dying…!”  
His smile uncurled. “I was… But you saved me.”  
“How? I’m nothing like you!”  
Tim was silent.  
Something grabbed my jacket’s collar and Tim by his wing and lifted us to our feet.  
“Ow-Ow! Watch the wing!” Tim complained. “It’s still not healed!”  
“What the f*ck are you doing!?” Charlie’s voice boomed. “We’re in the middle of a battle and the first thing you do is get each other’s face with hearts in your eyes!?” She turned to Tim. “If you’re a Warrior, start acting like one before I throw you in the front lines myself!”  
“I was attacked!” He shouted back.  
“That Jason had to save you from! Get your act up, Drake! And keep your human under control!”  
“She’s not a pet--You leave her out of this!”  
“If she stays out of the way, I will!” Charlie stormed off and attacked Reapers with her large green greatswords.  
A Reaper with a black and gold mace swung at Tim. He ducked and had a guandao spinning on his back--He tripped her, grabbing his weapon and kept it in motion, then stabbed her back with the spear end, and shoved it in deeper to make sure she was dead. He let go and the magic weapons faded. I spotted something pink darting at him. “Tim!!” I shoved him away. A pink magic arrow carved through my solar plexus and I grunted on impact. Tim turned to me and his eyes widened in sheer fear. He caught me and gently lowered me to the ground in his arms, his wings drooped. I held my stomach, and he placed his hand on mine.  
“Jason! I need cover!” He called.  
“You got it!” Jason replied. He stood in front of us, and glanced back, seeing my condition. “Oh shit.”  
“Jay! Toss me one!” Charlie commanded.  
Jason tossed her a black and red magic pistol and formed another and fired.  
“Dani,” Tim murmured. “Why…? Why would you sacrifice your precious human life for mine?”  
“I love you, Tim,” I answered. “Now I see what those dreams meant. Our love brings death… My death…”  
“Don’t say that, you’ll make it through…!”  
“Timmy… I’m scared…”  
He kissed me. “I am too…”  
My damage was too lethal for me to survive any longer. My life faded until my body was just a shell. Tim held my jaw with his thumb and lowered his head to my face, whimpering. Hermes approached from Heaven and pulled my soul from my body in the form of a glowing white ball hovering above his palm.  
“Hermes… Please don’t take her… I can heal her…!” Tim begged, whimpering.  
“I’m sorry, Timothy Drake. You know the rules--She must be taken to the Holy Court for further judgment.”  
“Mercury… I beg of you… She doesn’t deserve this… This is my fault… Punish me instead, let her live her human life…”  
“I cannot do that, Timothy. I truly am sorry. If you wish it, I can send her to you when her judgement is complete.”  
Tim sorrowfully nodded.  
Hermes left to the skies with my soul. He entered the Holy Court and left my soul hovering in the middle of the floor; from the white ball of light, my translucent body formed.  
“Danielle Jane Woods of Brooklyn, New York,” A booming deep voice spoke.  
Five powerful beings sat behind a round desk in front of me. A buff man in a white toga with strong masculine facial structure, silver curly hair that flowed down above his wide shoulders and a large bushy beard. A red-skinned man like a native american with a falcon head in gold and royal blue armor and a disc with a golden snake on his head like a crown. A man with a long white beard like a fictional dwarf in viking-like armor and an eyepatch over the left eye. A dark man in colorful Indian clothing with a long white beard and a red spot above his nose bridge and eyebrows with a large golden crown sitting on his head, he had two other visible heads that were the exact same face and crown. Lastly a pale man with asian eyes and black hair, his goatee was long--And he wore red chinese robes and a golden crown on his head with beads flowing down the sides, and he had a red Chinese dragon with him. I thought those were fictional beasts. I actually recognized the falcon-headed one, he was the Egyptian God Ra, and the one in the eyepatch was the Norse God Odin, and the one in the toga was obviously Zeus, but the other two were completely unknown to me--I could only guess their cultures.  
“Where am I?” I asked, my words echoed across the room.  
“This is the Holy Court,” Answered Zeus. “Where your fate will be judged.”  
“Tim mentioned this place. And you must be the five most powerful Gods from five different cultures.”  
“That is correct,” The Indian God known as Brahma acknowledged.  
“We are well aware you are very fond of Timothy Drake of the wisdom and intellect sortment. He disobeyed many protocols to visit you,” Said the Chinese God known as the Jade Emperor. “He also shared forbidden information with you to help you understand him. You two have grown very close.”  
I had a stupid question in mind and didn’t bother to ask, they’re Gods, they know and see everything in the mortal world. I noticed Ra staring at me, making me feel uncomfortable with his wide yellow falcon eyes.  
“I see generosity and kindness in this one,” Ra spoke in his high gratey voice like Reptile from Mortal Kombat. “She is drowning in love--Perhaps for her guardian angel. Or perhaps for her close loved ones.”  
“I see stubbornness, patience, and loyalty in her,” Added Odin. “She is morally good and strong, but her emotion clouds her judgement.”  
“I see,” Zeus stared at me, reading my personality and life through the window of my ghostly translucent eyes. “I have made up my mind. Odin, Ra, Brahma, Yu Huang, what say you?”  
“I am with you, my friend,” Odin responded.  
“Yes, I agree as well,” The Jade Emperor replied.  
Ra and Brahma were silent. Ra continued to stare at me with his intense golden predator eyes, still making me uncomfortable. Brahma, on the other hand, nodded peacefully.  
“It is decided,” Zeus began, his strong voice booming. “You are to be held in the love and fertility sortment in the class of Warriors. Hermes, fetch the holy grail!”  
“Yes, my lord,” Hermes left for a moment, he then returned with a golden chalice in hand and offered it to me. “You must swallow every drop for the holy water to be effective.”  
I took the goblet from the God. It was golden with what looked like a tiger’s eye accent and colorful gemstones lined on the sides, and its size was reasonable for a regular sized goblet like a wine glass. The holy water inside was crystal clear like normal clean water and had no scent. I brought it to my face and followed the given instructions, drinking all of the holy water in one sip, tasting rose water. I wondered why Tim never wanted to taste it again, until a sharp pain in my entire ghost body stung worse than a wasp or needles. I dropped the chalice and Hermes caught it before it could hit the floor, I fell on my hands and knees screaming in excruciating pain like I was being burned alive and eaten away by the most brutal and lethal acid. It hurt so bad that it made me want to die again. Tears escaped my eyes and dripped from my cheek bones. My body slowly became solid, wings slowly emerged from my back and ripped through my shirt and jacket, my eyes faded to a pure aquamarine and swirling pink markings began to appear around my left eye. The pain faded away and my new wings covered in light pink and white feathers flopped over my back and on the floor, leaving me to breathe heavily.  
“Rise, Warrior, and meet your new masters,” Zeus commanded.  
“Give me a second please,” I tried to catch my breath. “How long was that…?!”  
“Two minutes,” Answered Hermes.  
“What…!? That felt like giving birth to a million babies at once…! But all over…!”  
The Gods gazed at me patiently. “Are you finished?” The Jade Emperor asked.  
I stood and lifted my head up to the Gods. Six more stood in front of the judges, Cupid, Aphrodite, Demeter, Hera, Frigg, and the cat-headed Egyptian Goddess Bastet.  
“Come, my child,” Frigg offered her hand to me. “Let us guide you through these trying times.”  
I knew she was just being nice, but that made her sound suspicious and untrustworthy.  
“Unfortunately, Frigg, I have received a special request from Timothy Drake of the wisdom and intellect sortment to return Danielle Woods to him,” Hermes denied.  
“Ah yes. Her true love,” Hera recalled. “Very well. She is yours.”  
“Before you take me,” I interrupted. “I’d like some guidance through the battle Tim’s friends are fighting.”  
“Stay true to your heart,” Said Cupid. “And do not fret. You will be surrounded by friends and you are stronger than your foes with your fearless passion.”  
“We trust you to do what you believe is right,” Aphrodite added.  
Hermes placed a hand on my shoulder. “It is time to leave.”  
I followed Hermes out of the Holy Court and down below to the ground.  
Before we got down there, Hermes paused. “I have to collect another soul--Timothy Drake is there,” He pointed.  
“Thank you,” I said before he disappeared.  
I descended down carefully to the ground and stood behind Tim. He was hunched over on his knees and his palms planted on his forehead, his clenched fingers creviced through his bangs and hair ready to claw it out. I could hear his shaky breathing and I could feel his sense of anger and despair like he failed me, like he failed to protect me. A bed of fresh grass about my size lied in front of him decorated in beautiful roses and orchids. I took a step near him and rested a hand on his shoulder from behind. He turned his head to me, dried tear tracks lined his cheeks and jaw. He darted at me and embraced my body, barrel rolling in flight, then pulled up until we hovered upright. He gazed into my eyes in silence. I gave him a light smile, and wiped my thumbs across the tracks on his face.  
Tim grinned, filled with joy and relief. “I don’t know what to say besides you look beautiful.”  
My smile grew bigger into a grin.  
“Are we compatible now?”  
I chuckled. “Yes,” I held his neck and pulled him into a kiss.  
He moaned and tightened his hold. He drifted down towards my neck, “I’ve always wanted to do this,” and planted numerous kisses.  
I felt an explosion of pleasure and moaned.  
“Hey!” Charlie’s voice yelled. “What did I tell you!?”  
Tim pulled away and glanced down at her with a mischievous look.  
“Jason. You don’t have to guard anymore.”  
“Good,” Jason replied. “‘Cause I’m done waiting my ass here,” He disintegrated his pistol and silver and red battleaxe and approached Charlie. “What’s going on?”  
Charlie pointed at us.  
Jason looked up and took a closer look at me. “Oh! Oh. She’d look better in red. Maybe give her some badass blood red wings and spikier markings. Could use some more orange eyes than that blue.”  
Charlie snickered.  
“Jason,” Tim began. “Just shut up.”  
“Tim?” I placed my fingers on his jaw and turned his attention to me. “Be my teacher?”  
“Regarding I’m not your guardian angel anymore, I guess I could spare some more time to help you.”  
“You’re still my guardian angel, Timmy.”  
“Well it won’t be long till I’m assigned to someone else.”  
A black and purple sword flew between our faces.  
Tim whipped his head to where it came from. “Hey! Watch it, Bruce!”  
Bruce clasped my ankle and pulled us down until our feet touched the gritted ground. “You’re not supposed to be here, Tim. And since you are, you should be fighting back--Not this.”  
“Oh, I’m sorry she just died three minutes ago.”  
“Enough! Now get out there!”  
“Yes, sir,” Tim grumbled. He took my hand and stormed off, then turned to me. “Dani, love. I need you to focus on your magic. Think about what you want to do and have your hands ready.”  
I stared blankly into nothing and thought about wanting to fight close range. A handle materialized in my hand with a glowing pink whip extended from the hilt. I gave it a twirl and the tail cracked across a Reaper’s cheek, I twirled it again and the whip wrapped around the Reaper’s neck and I hauled them in. Tim formed a guandao in his hands and thrusted it, impaling them through the abdomen, and the reaper crumbled into piles of dust.  
“Well done,” Tim complimented.  
“I have an idea,” I said.  
“What do you have in mind?”  
I whipped at his ankles, wrapping it around them, and launched into the air with Tim dangling below me. “Get ready!”  
“How!?”  
I swung him around until he was above me and threw him down, and he understood what I was doing. He had a guandao ready, and hit the ground with the blade, creating a crater around him and launching everything around him off the ground followed up by a knockbacking wave of wind. I was astonished by the result of my power and using my love as an angelic weapon. I flew down to him.  
“That was pretty effective,” Tim shuffled my hair on my head.  
We noticed two female Reapers, one with brown hair, and the other with long red hair, both in pirate clothing with swords. They glared at us, then flew away. I made a wooden bow in my hand and shot a pink arrow at them, but it flew past them. A whole flock of Reapers fled the battle back to Hell where they belonged. The Avains held victory over the battle.  
“When did you get here? I didn’t call for you,” A gentle old man’s voice spoke. Odin stood in front of us with a kind expression on his face.  
“I know, sir,” Tim answered. “I stumbled across the battle and knew I had to help. Is there anything I have to do for disobeying orders?”  
“No, son. Your assistance was well appreciated. But you did break many rules and protocols for this fine woman of yours--You showed yourself to countless mortals, you prevented her fate several times, you shared forbidden information about the secrecy of our existence, you brought her into battle and put her in danger,”  
Tim opened his mouth, about to speak.  
“You took enough mortal lives to protect her, you used magic on her, and you rebelled against your brethren.”  
Tim looked shameful, “Odin, I’m sorry,” he dropped on his knees. “Do what you must… I am ready for you to take my wings…”  
“Stand up, Warrior. No punishments will be held against you.”  
Tim looked up at the Norse God and stood, shocked.  
“You may have caused us some troubles, but everything you did was in an act of passionate love. I must warn you, Zeus is not happy with your actions. If you break rules again, there will be consequences. I saved you once from his punishments, I cannot do it again.”  
“Yes, sir.”  
Odin gave a gentle smile, “You’re a good man, Timothy Drake. I would hate to see your wings clipped,” then put his hand on Tim’s shoulder.  
Tim flapped his wings, feeling no more pain in his injured wing. “Thank you.”  
“Now will you excuse me--I am needed in Asgard,” Odin then faded away.  
I was confused. “Um… Where did he go?”  
“To Asgard,” Answered Tim. “That’s his method of transportation.”  
We heard steps behind us with a young voice. “Odin let you keep your wings, I see.”  
We turned around and Damian stood there.  
“You know, Drake, if I were judge, I would take your wings immediately.”  
“Go to Hell!” Tim stomped.  
I stopped him with my hand on his chest.  
“I don’t even understand why they made you an Avian anyway… Psychopath…”  
Damian continued to bicker. “Because I’m better than you. Face it, Drake. You don’t stand a chance against me!”  
“What?! That is a false statement! I’ve beaten your ass more times than you can count, you ungrateful little brat--!”  
“Timothy Jackson Drake!” I interrupted. “What’s gotten into you? What happened to your nobility?”  
“Damian happened!” Tim complained. “If he were a Reaper, I’d kill him--But unfortunately I can’t!”  
Damian threw a knife at him.  
Tim caught it flat by the blade before it could reach his throat, “Nice try,” then tossed it at the ground and it stuck out of the dirt.  
“Tim,” I crept my hand under his open collar. “Let’s go. We don’t need this, and the dust everywhere is depressing.”  
Tim took my hand from under his shirt and kissed it. “Okay…”  
He followed me as we flew through the sky back to Gotham. The sun was already setting and the temperatures were dropping--But temperatures don’t bother me anymore. I landed on the balcony of my apartment, the slide door was still unlocked since we left early that morning.  
“Why are we here?” Asked Tim. “There’s nothing left for you here. You don’t need your stuff anymore.”  
I made my way to the bedroom. “There’s one thing that I want to take with me. It’s very important to me…”  
Silence took the air for a moment.  
“Dani… How did you know my middle name? I never told you, and it wasn’t on my tombstone. You could’ve thought it was Jonathen, or John, or Joseph, or James… but you said Jackson.”  
“I don’t know… it just sounded right to me. And it sounds better with your name than the others. All I knew is that it started with a "J" so I went with it.”  
I found the letter with the large white feather and read it again.

It was nice hanging out with you. I’ll come back again tonight at dusk--Expect me on the balcony. There is something I should probably tell you about your thesis on me. Take the time to consider our discussion last night about your dream, only you know the answer. We also can’t keep lying to your roommate. Just know that I will be visiting often, and she has to know the truth about me at some point--She will become more curious and suspicious about me as time flies by.  
Looking forward to it.

Signed with a halo and wings.  
Tim stood next to me and rubbed my waist. “You still kept it after all this time…”  
“Yes,” I smelled the feather and smiled. “Still smells like fresh roses. I kept it to remind me how I first met you… I want to hold on to it until I fall into ashes.”  
The note and feather were a reminder of our love story. To treasure those times when I didn’t understand him. To cherish the risks and sacrifices he made just to be with me. And I planned to never forget…

**Author's Note:**

> My brain was WAY too impatient with the romance, it just wanted it right away and it wouldn't shut up about it until I wrote it, so I had to find a way to alter the story from my original plan.


End file.
